Maruti Suzuki Extends Maintenance Shutdown Due to Covid-19 Pandemic

India’s largest automaker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has said that it is extending a planned maintenance shutdown until May 16 from May 9 citing the COVID-19 pandemic. It was not immediately clear if the shutdown was to ensure the safety of its workers or due to lower demand. The coronavirus pandemic pushed India’s passenger vehicle sales to their lowest in six years, annual data from an auto industry body showed last month, with the sector bracing for further fallout from a recent surge in cases.

India on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day COVID-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and state imposed stricter lockdowns.

Recently, automobile major Maruti Suzuki India reported a total sales of 159,691 units in April 2021. According to the company, total sales in the month include domestic sales of 137,151 units, sales to other OEMs at 5,303 units and exports of 17,237 units. The company had sold 632 vehicles during April 2020 and 143,245 units in 2019.

“Since April 2020 had lockdown due to Covid-19 and almost zero sales, a comparison with April 2020 doesn’t have any meaning," the company said in a statement.

In March, the base effect accelerated the sales growth of MSI. Accordingly, the company reported a growth of 99.31 per cent in its overall sales during March 2021 on a year-on-year basis. The firm sold 167,014 units of vehicles last month, against 83,792 units sold in March 2020. On a sequential basis, the company sold 164,469 units of vehicles in February 2021. “Maruti Suzuki India Limited posted total sales of 167,014 units in March 2021, consisting of domestic sales (Passenger Vehicle and Light Commercial Vehicle) of 149,518 units, sales to other OEMs of 5,899 units and exports of 11,597 units," the company said in a statement.

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In terms of the fiscal year, the company reported a fall of 6.7 per cent in FY21 sales to 1,457,861 units from 1,563,297 units sold during the previous financial year. Domestic Sales in March 2020 had dropped about 48 per cent due to Covid related disruptions. It will be seen that domestic sales in March 2021 have only recovered to March 2019 levels.

(WITH INPUTS FROM REUTERS)

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